Albuquerque's Lambert returns to form

After a string of rough starts and with time running short on the 2018 season, Peter Lambert put himself back in a good place on the mound.
Baseball's No. 84 overall prospect Peter Lambert turned in his first scoreless outing at Triple-A, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out two over six innings as Albuquerque fell to Sacramento, 2-1.

Gameday box score
"Going into the game, it was just the same gameplan as always," Lambert said. "I just did a little bit better of a job of executing today. I didn't really get too many strikeouts. They were putting balls in play and my defense did a great job."
After giving up at least four earned runs in each of his last four outings, the right-hander started on a strong note by retiring the side in order in the first inning and not allowing a hit until the third. Lambert pitched around Peter Bourjos' two-out double to right field in that frame, his second straight inning leaving a runner aboard.
Colorado's No. 2 prospect also stranded runners in the fourth and fifth before facing the minimum in his final frame. Sacramento's Kelby Tomlinson singled to short, but two batters later, Max Stassi struck out and Tomlinson was caught trying to steal second base to cap the start. The effort dropped Lambert's Triple-A ERA from 6.29 to 5.54 in his 10th start at the level.
"I think the biggest thing is [Triple-A] hitters, if you fall behind, they're going to make you pay," he said. "I think the biggest key is to get ahead of hitters and don't try to make your pitchers any more nasty than they are."
The 21-year-old threw 50 of his 81 pitches for strikes and generated eight outs on the ground against five in the air.
"That's the whole key is to get ahead of hitters and make them put the ball in play and make weak contact," he said. "That's always good to see."

Colorado bumped Lambert to Triple-A after he went 8-2 with a 2.23 ERA over 15 starts for Double-A Hartford, but the Pacific Coast League has presented him with challenges. The 2015 second-round pick entered Tuesday with a 2-5 record and a 6.29 ERA, but worked well on Tuesday with catcher Tom Murphy, who has seen extensive time in the Major Leagues this year.
"He's got a lot of experience and he knows what he's doing back there," Lambert said. "I love the way he goes about his business and the way he calls the game. I've enjoyed it, that's for sure."
The start marked the first time Lambert allowed fewer than two earned runs since July 26 at Oklahoma City. It was his first scoreless appearance since back-to-back starts for Hartford on May 7 and 12. That it came so close to the end of the season brought an extra level of satisfaction.
"It's always a good thing to end on a good note and have that confidence going into the offseason," he said. "Before we know it, next season will be here, and hopefully, I can carry it over."